“Rebecca has a favorite quote: ‘You can never fail until you stop trying,’” Steven added.

Nadler’s resilience has come in handy throughout her career, which hasn’t always played out according to plan. Nadler didn’t come to Carrabassett Valley Academy until her run at the Canadian national team fell short. While competing for Carrabassett, she was a dark horse candidate who wasn’t being recruited by the EISA ’s top dogs. Her visibility increased when she won the Eastern Cup that winter.

At Harvard, Nadler has had her share of obstacles even beyond those that come with the time strains of competing for a school from Boston. After a promising start to her freshman season and a 21st place finish at the World University Games, Nadler was hindered with illness and injuries for much of her rookie campaign but was able to rally in time for a 20th place finish in the giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.

This year Nadler simply took her skiing to a new level.

“Winning a national championship—it doesn’t get any bigger than that,” Mitchell said. “At the same time, it’s not unbelievable. I know what she’s capable of. I know how hard she works.”

The victory secured Nadler’s place as the Crimson’s best skier ever.

“I’m just overall a mess with how happy I am,” she said.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.